Lira rises again

By: Anathi Dada

Whether it’s a breezy Afro-Latin tête-à-tête (Wa Mpaleha), a percolating funk declaration of perseverance (Rise again) or a suave old school caress (Made For Me), Lira knows how to pull off a quiet storm seduction.

You must have heard the name Lira somewhere, somehow because everyone has been talking about her, ever since her DVD, Lira live in concert – a celebration was recorded in Carnival City, a hotel and Casino situated in Brakpan, on the outskirts of Johannesburg. The Afro-soul artist, whose music is defined by its honesty, soulfulness, feminity and utter joyfulness released the live DVD last year (2009) in August. It is a combination of all her hit tracks, including songs like, Ixesha, soul in mind etc. In less than a year it is already breaking sale records and it was the first music concert to be released on Blu-ray.

This is the most beautiful South African live DVD I have ever seen in my entire music interest life. It has been the most exciting thing to come to South African. When the performance starts we are first welcomed by blue dashing lights, which you can tell they are not just any lights, they are a special kind of lights. This is something you hardly find in most South African produced DVDs. An estimation of about 3800 strong crowd members cheered as she entered the stage wearing a smile upon her face. She started off with the hit track Hamba which is basically directed to men, meaning: even if you’d leave me I would never cry.

Among others, one of my favourite tracks is Ngiyabonga. This song is a thanksgiving to everyone who has played a role in who she is today. I believe that when one succeeds in life, they need not to forget the people who have been supporting them. The audience seemed so excited and pleased to be there as the 29- year old delivered great music. This kind of predicted the outcomes of the concert before it even started. Her voice is so pure and smooth; you don?t hear voice cracks or bass out of the blue.

She only set a soul on the benchmark with her 2006 album Feel Good but she has already made impressive history in the South African afro-soul industry.

“I think the album is the sound of a woman getting into her own skin, of finding her own creative voice and exploring the music that people heard on Feel Good but taking it much deeper,” she explained in an interview.

She sang soul in mind with her high school choir Wordsworth High School. They sang it so perfectly; it even got a bit emotional as she shed some tears while performing the song Believer. I have never seen a woman singing so confidently. Her songs are a mix of South African languages, which is accommodating for everyone. The audience danced, sang along and cheered to every song as they are all irresistible.

The album consists of 20 tracks which include the hit tracks:

• Hamba
• Ngiyazifela
• Rise again
• Believer
• Ixesha and many more.